Thursday, July 9, 2009

Sound Travels Festival of Sound Art

NEW ADVENTURES IN SOUND ART Presents:

SOUND TRAVELS FESTIVAL of SOUND ART

Various venues at the Artscape Wychwood Barns

Outdoors on CentreIsland and an Outdoor Park

Continues Until October 31

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - TORONTO, ON - July 9, 2009: New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) is pleased to present the 11th edition of the Sound Travels Festival of Sound Art, which runs until October 31, 2009. As part of a summer-long celebration of sound art, NAISA presents indoor and outdoor performances, sound installations, outdoor interactive sound sculptures, SOUNDwalks, newly commissioned works, a series of workshop intensives and the third annual Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium at various venues at the Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie Street) as well as outdoors on Centre Island and an outdoor park TBA (as soon as the strike by Toronto city workers comes to an end).

In a world that often focuses too much on the visual, Sound Travels brings about a refreshing change as it brings the soundscape into the foreground through the lens of the sound artists of today. It always begins with listening. The genius of the sound artist is to extract compelling musicality and wordless dramas from everyday sounds often taken for granted. From this lush auditory experience, audiences author their own imaginary world in their mind’s eye – Darren Copeland, Artistic Director, New Adventures in Sound Art.

Outdoor at CentreIsland

The summer-long festival was launched on June 14th with the annual opening of NAISA’s two interactive sound sculptures on Centre Island that will once again run from June to October – Synthecycletron by Barry Prophet (a favourite amongst cyclists – near the pier) and Sonic Boardwalk by Kristi Allik and Robert Mulder (on the Boardwalk). During the strike by Toronto city workers, NAISA suggests taking the Toronto Island Marina service (go to <http://torontoislandmarina.com/tender_service.html > for schedule information) or one of the Water Taxis (416 388 4629) which are both available at the York Quay terminal.

Indoor at Artscape Wychwood Barns

This year's Sound Travels indoor installations will open on August 6th and run until August 30th at the Loop Studio Centre for Lively Arts in the Artscape Wychwood Barns focusing on the topic of ecology from an acoustic point of view. Kenneth Emig’sListening is an interactive sound installation that presents sounds from a nearby environment around a suspended parabolic dish. Stefan Rose’s Sound Travels Documents and Sound Travels in Portrait each present portraits of Sound Travels events on TorontoIsland from the first 10 years of its existence. Kevin Allen’s GOWANUS: Over/Under-Water combines binaural under-water and over-water sound recordings with stereoscopic images. Viv Corringham’s Shadow-Walks, Toronto edition is an audio-visual installation derived from recordings and found objects collected during a visit to Toronto at the Artscape-Wychwood Barns in which local people shared their special walks with Corringham.

Music with kites and more…

The Sound Travels performances once again create a cinema for the ear entirely through sound. August 6th opens the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium with works by participants in the symposium. August 7th includes world premieres by Montreal’s Nicolas Bernier (commissioned by NAISA) and Toronto’s Marilyn Lerner as well as Bernier’s Les Arbres, Ozone by Hervé Birolini, Champs de fouilles (Excavations) by Martin Bédard and Écologie Matérielle by Adam Basanta. August 8thfeatures retrospectives of work by internationally renowned composers Benjamin Thigpen and Annette Vande Gorne. And finally what would happen if you connected a kite to a guitar resonator and pickups? Join us for this not to be missed outdoor performance on August 9th (at an outdoor park location TBA) by Winnipeg media artist Ken Gregory in which he will coax music out of kites with his site-specific performance work Against the Wind.

Opportunities abound for artists of all ages and backgrounds at this year’s Sound Travels Festival. August 4-6 includes the first ever Sound Travels Intensive, a 3-day series of workshops for emerging and mid-career artists offering them the opportunity to hone their craft with world renowned artists Benjamin Thigpen, Annette Vande Gorne, David Ogborn, Eldad Tsabary, Darren Copeland, Ken Gregory and Nicolas Bernier. The August 4 and 5 performances showcase works by the participants in the Sound Travels intensive and invite discussion by both audience and participants. The third annual Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium – this year co-presented by the Canadian Electroacoustic Community – will include 19 papers and several concert works curated by an international jury and to be presented August 7 and 8. And finally the now annual Making Art With Sound week-long workshops August 10-15 and 17-23 provide opportunities for youth (ages 15 to 18) to create art entirely through sound.

Sound Travels Festival of SoundArt is partially funded by the government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, the Laidlaw Foundation, the Toronto Arts Council and the SOCAN foundation.

New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit organization that produces performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of electroacoustic and experimental sound art. Included in its Toronto productions are: Deep Wireless, Sound Travels, and SOUNDplay.

SOUND TRAVELS FESTIVAL of SOUND ART

As of Now until October 31, 2009

At various venues at the Artscape Wychwood Barns,601 Christie Street including:

the NAISA Space (#252), Loop Studio Centre for Lively Arts (#170), the LOOP Centre for Lively Arts and Learning (#176) as well as outdoors on Centre Island* and an outdoor park TBA.

* During the strike by Toronto city workers, Water Taxis (416 388 4629) are available or try the

June 14 - October 31, 2009, runs 24/7 FREE SYNTHECYCLETRON by Barry Prophet between the pier and the boardwalk on CentreIsland* runs 24/7 FREE

Visitors that encounter the "Synthecycletron" generate power by pedaling on stationary bicycles which in turn activate synthesizers and generate sounds connected to their movements.

July 7 - October 31, 2009, runs 24/7 FREE SONIC BOARDWALK by Kristi Allik/Robert Mulder on the west end of the boardwalk on Centre Island*.

Sonic Boardwalk, by Robert Mulder and Kristi Allik, is a sound installation located on the Ward's Island boardwalk that generates a microsound landscape activated by the kinetic imprint of passing visitors.

James Joyce wrote that places remember events. Corringham believes everything that happens leaves a trace. Shadow-Walks, Toronto edition will be derived from recordings and found objects collected during her visit in which local people share their special walks with Corringham. Those interested in participating in a Shadow-Walk are requested to email naisa@naisa.ca to book an appointment with the artist.

The first ever Sound Travels Intensive is a 3-day series of workshops for artists offering the opportunity to hone their craft with world renown artists Benjamin Thigpen, Annette Vande Gorne, David Ogborn, Eldad Tsabary, Darren Copeland, Ken Gregory and Nicolas Bernier.

Some scholarships and billeting available. Must apply by July 15, 2009 to qualify. To register, go to www.naisa.ca and click on On- line Registration.

Click here http://www.naisa.ca/soundtravels/ Residency.html for a full schedule and more info.

Performances of work by emerging and mid-career composers attending the Sound Travels Intensive (a series of workshops over a 3-day period). Performances will feature classic analog and sensor-based digital spatialization techniques. Feedback and discussion from audience is encouraged.

This year's Sound Travels indoor installations will open on August 6th and run until August 30th at the Loop Studio in the Artscape Wychwood Barns focusing on the topic of ecology from an acoustic point of view. Kenneth Emig’s LISTENING is an interactive sound installation that presents sounds from a nearby environment around a suspended parabolic dish. Stefan Rose’s SOUND TRAVELS DOCUMENTS and SOUND TRAVELS IN PORTRAIT each present portraits of Sound Travels events on Toronto Island* from the first 10 years of its existence.

Kevin Allen’s GOWANUS: Over/Under-Water combines binaural under-water and over-water sound recordings with stereoscopic images. Viv Corringham’s SHADOW-WALK, TORONTO EDITION is an audio-visual installation derived from recordings and found objects collected during a visit to Toronto at the Artscape-Wychwood Barns in which local people shared their special walks with Corringham.

Celebrate the opening of the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium by listening to a multichannel concert of works by international artists attending the symposium. Works featured were juried by an international panel of artists, researchers and teachers assembled by the Canadian Electroacoustic Community.

The Canadian Electroacoustic Community and New Adventures in Sound Art are pleased to announce the 2009 Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium. The symposium presents a selection of refereed papers and presentations as well as a keynote lecture by internationally

acclaimed scholar Annette Vande Gorne. This is your opportunity to

find out the latest in sound art activity around the world. The proceedings of the symposium will be published in a forthcoming issue of the CEC's online journal, eContact!. To register, go to www.naisa.ca and click on On-line Registration. Click here http:// www.naisa.ca/soundtravels/Residency.html for a full schedule and more info.

August 7, 8pm, $15/$10

Ecology: Water, Air, Sound Concert

Loop Centre for Lively Arts and Learning, 601 Christie St #176

A chance to hear the latest emerging voices in sound art with acousmatic and mixed electroacoustic works performed using NAISA spatialization system. Featured are world premieres by Nicolas Bernier (commissioned through the Canada Council for the Arts) and Marilyn Lerner. Also included is Les Arbres by Bernier, along with works by Emilie LaBel, Hervé Birolini, Martin Bedard, and Adam Basanta. Performers include Nicolas Bernier and Scott Trottier.

August 8, 8pm, $15/$10

Two Portraits Concert

Loop Centre for Lively Arts and Learning, 601 Christie St #176

Retrospectives of work by Benjamin Thigpen and Annette Vande Gorne - two sound artists that are little known in Toronto but who have contributed greatly to the development of sound art in Europe in recent years. Thigpen's side of this duo portrait includes Balagan, Incandescence and Malfunction3093 while Vande Gorne's side features Ce qu’a vu le vent d’Est, Exil, Chant II and Figures d'espace from a her latest release on the famed empreintes DIGITALes label. Both artists work feature a wide range of energy, intensity and colour.

The artists will both be on hand to perform their work and provide some insight to the processes behind their works.

What would happen if you connected a kite to a guitar resonator and pickups? Join us for this not to be missed outdoor performance by Winnipeg media artist Ken Gregory in which he will coax music out of kites with his site-specific performance work Against the Wind.

August 10-14, 2009, $50

Week 1 ofMAKING ART WITH SOUND

The NAISA Space, 601 Christie St #252

NAISA is inviting youth aged 15-18 to create art entirely with Sound, Radio, Electronics, and/or Performance through exploration according to their own individual interest - through building a NAISAtron, a micro-transmitter, or working with basic recording and editing software. All equipment will be provided by New Adventures in Sound Art and no experience is necessary. Please contact Nadene at naisa@naisa.ca or Andrew at info@naisa.ca. Limited spots available.

August 17-21, 2009, $50

Week 2 of MAKING ART WITH SOUND

The NAISA Space, 601 Christie St #252

NAISA is inviting youth aged 15-18 to create art entirely with Sound, Radio, Electronics, and/or Performance through exploration according to their own individual interest - through building a NAISAtron, a micro-transmitter, or working with basic recording and editing software. All equipment will be provided by New Adventures in Sound Art and no experience is necessary. Please contact Nadene at naisa@naisa.ca or Andrew at info@naisa.ca . Limited spots available.

NOTE: For those wishing to register for both weeks, we will provide more advanced instruction during the second week.

* During the strike by Toronto city workers, NAISA suggests taking the Toronto Island Marina service (go to <http://torontoislandmarina.com/tender_service.html > for schedule information) or one of the Water Taxis (416 388 4629) which are both available at the York Quay terminal.